Ulterior
by koika
Summary: Ulq was ordered to retrieve a girl named Orihime, unknowing that she is Aizen's abandoned daughter and that from her, he learnt to love. When Orihime was dragged into a mess about her past by Ulq whom she trusted, will she accept him into her life again?
1. Prologue & Episode 1

**Ulterior**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach.

Prologue

【Synopsis】

Inoue Orihime, fifteen years old and a high school student of Karakura High. Twelve years ago, when she was only three, her parents mysteriously died in an unsolved murder. Ever since then, her elder brother, Inoue Sora, who was fifteen years older than her, took care of her. Even though Sora was her only kin left, Orihime enjoyed being taken care of by her loving and protective brother. They lived peacefully until Sora unfortunately met with a car accident and died on his way to the hospital. From then on, since the age of nine, Orihime inherited a significant amount of money and started to take care of herself with some help from her kind landlady. Since then, her friends, especially her best friend, Arisawa Tatsuki, were the only family known to her. Her background was like an ill fate sealed into a box and hidden in the depths of her heart, and Orihime had no intention of unlocking it. The memory of her brother was the only thing from her lost family that she held on tight to help her live on. Unknown to her was the truth behind her background… Her past memories were not what they appeared to be. Just when Orihime thought her life was close to ordinary, after she had finally come to terms with the lost of her family, a stranger entered her life, gained her trust, only to bring her into an underworld where she learnt the truth about her background. Orihime's life was altered forever since. Can she trust this stranger? Will she be able to accept a different life? The story unfolds…

【Author's Note】

Konnichiwa, minasan. This is my first fic. Please give me some encouragement and review my work. I chose to reveal minimal about the storyline so far as more will be uncovered as I develop the plot and characters. Please understand. Do look forward to this original storyline I've conjured up. The sequence of events and years in the synopsis are based according to Orihime's history in Bleach. Beyond this introduction would be the actual plot. There will be no links to Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. However, there will be parallels drawn. The main pairing in this fic is Ulquiorra and Orihime. Thank you for reading this!

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**Ulterior**

Episode 1

"Ohayou Orihime-chan! What a pleasant surprise!" Orihime was instantly welcomed by the warm greeting of Tatsuki's mother the moment she arrived at Tatsuki's doorstep. "Hai. Ohayo Arisawa-san! Is Tatsuki-chan ready for school?" Orihime replied politely. Tatsuki and Orihime had been the best of friends since middle school. When Tatsuki learnt about how Orihime led an independent but lonely life ever since the lost of her family, she was determined to watch out for Orihime and protect her as though she were her younger sister. Tatsuki knew that although Orihime's character was gentle and compassionate, her spirit was not weak but very strong indeed. Tatsuki secretly admired how silently strong her best friend was, being so self-reliant even in the face of losing all her loved ones. Ever since then, Tatsuki promised to be her kin and Orihime was very well-accepted by Tatsuki's family whenever she came over for a visit.

It had been three years of friendship so far for the two best friends. After middle school, Orihime and Tatsuki both entered the same highschool, Karakura High. With the help of Tatsuki's mother, who offered to be Orihime's guardian, the two friends were fortunate to be enrolled into the same class. "I'm coming, Orihime!" Tatsuki called out with half a slice of bread in her mouth. She finished up her breakfast, grabbed her bag while swiftly putting on her shoes and ran towards the door. "Now, remember to behave well in highschool now that the both of you are all grown up!" Tatsuki's mother said. She took out two bento and gave Tatsuki and Orihime one each. "Here's some food I've packed for the both of you for lunch! Have a nice day!" she said and waved goodbye. "Arigato, Arisawa-san!" Orihime cried out as Tatsuki grabbed her hand and sped towards their school. "Let's go! We don't want to be late, ne?"

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Soon, Orihime and Tatsuki had arrived at their new school – Karakura High. Their spring-time uniform consisted of a white blouse with a red bow, a grey jacket and a grey pleated skirt for female students. The uniform for male students simply consisted of a white shirt, a grey jacket and grey bottoms. All students were required to wear white school shoes, and a pair of long white socks only for the females. The both of them walked down the corridor where all the year one classrooms were. Their classroom was "1-3" which meant year 1, class 3.

"Kurosaki Ichigo?!!" Tatsuki suddenly burst out in surprise while waving a finger at a boy with striking natural orange hair. The boy stood up from his chair and said, "Oi, Tatsuki! It's not like you've never seen me before!" Tatsuki crossed her arms and replied, "Ichigo! I didn't expect you to be in the same class as me that's all!" Orihime recognised who Ichigo was. He was a neighbour of Tatsuki and his family owned a private clinic. Tatsuki used to tell her of how brave she was when she always managed to chase away the bullies who kept picking on Ichigo for his orange hair back when they were in elementary school.

"Get used to it then, Tatsuki!" came Ichigo's boisterous reply. Soon, the classroom started to fill up with students and Orihime and Tatsuki took their seats which were beside each other. Not long after, their form teacher walked in and introduced herself. School had officially started.

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Sosuke Aizen sat firmly on his armchair as he rested his chin on one of his palms. He was deep in contemplation as always. Twelve long years had passed since he actually had a family. Twelve years ago, he made a decision that changed his life and the lives of his family forever. It was a selfish decision, but he had to do it. After many years of stabilising his career, he finally could sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labour. He had established an underground empire. Power and authority were in his hands. No one dared to question him or speak of him with any hint of disrespect in the underground business. However, his secured way of life only meant giving him more time to reflect upon the past that he had crushed and left behind. Twelve years ago, he sacrificed everything to be where he was at present. If only he could have the best of both worlds…

【To be continued…】


	2. Episode 2

**Ulterior**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach.

Episode 2

【Previously】

Sosuke Aizen sat firmly on his armchair as he rested his chin on one of his palms. He was deep in contemplation as always. Twelve long years had passed since he actually had a family. Twelve years ago, he made a decision that changed his life and the lives of his family forever. It was a selfish decision, but he had to do it. After many years of stabilising his career, he finally could sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labour. He had established an underground empire. Power and authority was in his hand. No one dared to question him or speak of him with any hint of disrespect in the underground business. However, his secured way of life only meant giving him more time to reflect upon the past that he had crushed and left behind. Twelve years ago, he sacrificed everything to be where he was at present. If only he could have the best of both worlds…

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_Flashback_ (Aizen's Point of View)

Twelve years ago, I went by the name Inoue Akio. It was my birth name. I had a family and two children. To the entire world, I was just an ordinary man; an ordinary father of two. That was exactly what I wanted the world to know me as. However, I am a man with ambitions. I thirst for power and authority. I was not satisfied with just a family, which to me was not much of an achievement. A family was simply what I needed to portray a false identity and impression of myself. My business lies with the underworld. I relish the risk of going against societal norms and what the government deemed as "right". Politics and business were mere weapons. I saw no reason to subject myself to the demands of dictators. I did not see myself falling prey to rules dictated by incompetent and foolish men in the ranks of some form of authority. I wanted to hold power in my hands, under my control and teasing my mind. That was why twelve years ago, I had decided that I was ready to build an underground empire that I've always wanted. No one can stop me. I would do whatever it takes… including abandoning my family.

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"Rule #1! Do not speak while I'm speaking! I don't like students stealing my airtime!" Mizuno-sensei spoke with a stern expression on her face. "Rule #2! Always be punc…" she was in the middle of revealing rule number two when the classroom door flunked wide open. A fuming Kuchiki Rukia stomped in while dragging the shirt collar of another student. Rukia spoke immediately upon entering the classroom, "Gomenasai, sensei! Blame this fool for getting lost so easily!" Rukia pointed to the student she dragged in. His name was Abarai Renji.

"Uh-hum! As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, Rule #2 is to always be PUNCTUAL!" Mizuno-sensei emphasised the last word in her sentence. "Don't let this repeat! Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san, please take your seats." Renji muttered inaudibly about their unnecessarily attention-grabbing entrance as he took the seat next to Ichigo. Rukia was not at all affected by the numerous gazes at her direction. She confidently took the seat next to Tatsuki which was in front of Renji.

"Inoue-san! Please explain to the latecomers what Rule #1 is…" Orihime's eyes widened when she heard what her teacher instructed her. "H-Hai, Mizuno-sensei… Rule #1 is not to speak while Mizuno-sensei is speaking." Orihime said, her face tinted with a hint of flush. She turned to look at Rukia and gave her an apologetic look. Rukia simply mouthed, "It's okay" and smiled at her. The introductory lesson went on. Mizuno-sensei continued to introduce more rules and threatened that whoever disobeyed her would feel the wrath of her gigantic ruler.

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_Flashback_ (Aizen's Point of View)

I devised a plan. I was ready to give up on my family. They would not bare the hurt of knowing about my confidential business. I was resolute. They must not know of my dealings. I knew that my wife would not support my ambitions and my children were too young to comprehend. If I were to walk out on them, they would try to find me. They would become a hindrance. But if I were dead with a convincing cause of death, they would not pursue and would just accept my death as it is. In addition, it was important for "Inoue Akio" to be assumed dead in the eyes of official records. Only then can I build my empire and the authorities would have no records or any leads of who the mastermind is. I would not be suspected, let alone convicted. It wouldn't be possible because I would be "dead"…

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"Finally! Lunch!" Tatsuki rejoiced. "Where should we have our lunch, Orihime?" she asked. Orihime thought for a while then beamed brightly. "Tatsuki-chan! It's our first day of highschool and I think we should gather up people in our class whom we know and we can all have lunch together under that shady tree! That would be great!" Tatsuki was about to nod in agreement when Rukia intercepted the exchange to introduce herself. "Hajimemashite! I'm Kuchiki Rukia! You can call me Rukia. Dozo yoroshiku!" Rukia stated in an overly enthusiastic tone.

Orihime jumped up from her seat and smiled delightedly. "Rukia-san! I'm so glad that we are in the same class! Would you like to join us for lunch? Your friend over there can come along if he wants to." Orihime said. Tatsuki gave a confused look to Orihime. "Oh! Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime remembered, "Rukia-san and I were in the same orientation group! We already met." She turned to Rukia and said, "Rukia-san, this is Tatsuki-chan. She's my bestest, best friend!" Tatsuki and Rukia both smiled at each other, both were glad to make a new friend through Orihime.

"Well, let's invite more of our classmates to have lunch with us before our break ends!" Tatsuki suggested and Rukia went to get Renji to join them. But of course, there wasn't much of a choice where Rukia's concerned. Tatsuki and Orihime walked towards Ichigo, who was chatting with Sado. Ichigo and Sado met each other even before school started. No one knew on what circumstances they met, but a wild guess would be one of those street fights Ichigo always got unwillingly caught in. Sado's physique was huge, but he wouldn't hurt a fly unless there was a valid reason to do so, such as for defence. Sado must have stood up for Ichigo. In any case, Tatsuki poked Ichigo's shoulder and asked, "Wanna join us for lunch outside, orange head?" She glanced at Sado and said, "You wanna come along too?"

Somehow, there was no response. Ichigo and Sado were probably wondering why they were invited. It was then that Orihime burst out, "That's settled then! We'll see you under that shady tree for lunch! I can't wait to eat what Arisawa-san had prepared for us, Tatsuki-chan! Let's go!" Taking silence as consent, Orihime waved at Sado and Ichigo and dragged Tatsuki away. "Uh… what was that all about?" Ichigo managed a response. "They were just being friendly. I suppose there's no reason to turn down their invitation. I'm going." Sado said and started to walk out of the classroom. "Oi, Sado! Chotto matte!" Ichigo grabbed his bento, which his younger sister prepared for him, before catching up with Sado.

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Orihime, Tatsuki, Rukia, Renji, Ichigo and Sado were having lunch together. "Tatsuki-chan! Arisawa-san really did a great job preparing this bento for us! Although…" Orihime drifted into one of her thought bubbles, "it would be nicer if she added some honey and light sauce to the rice and a tad bit of lemon juice and wasabi, right?" Everyone's face faltered and twisted in disgust. Though Tatsuki was well aware of Orihime's unique culinary tastes, she could not mask her contempt. Just then, Renji burst out laughing. "That's repulsive, Orihime-san! Who would eat that?" He continued laughing scornfully. Orihime's expression saddened from the disapproval of her friends. Just then Rukia's face twitched and asked slyly, "Eat what, Renji-kun?" It sounded as though Renji was about to be served with a recipe for disaster but he was oblivious. "Eat whatever Orihime-san suggested of course!" he answered. "Well, eat this then!" Rukia punched him in the stomach and Renji contorted in pain.

The rest felt it was rather comical and chuckled a little. In the background, Orihime was advising Rukia that it was fine with her as everyone has different tastes. "Hah! Baka! You deserved it." Ichigo blurted. That earned a death glare from Renji. "Ya want a fight, Kurosaki!" Renji threatened and Ichigo was already rolling up his sleeves.

Just as Renji and Ichigo were about to give each other a piece of themselves, despite Tatsuki's "stop being so childish!" and Orihime's "please don't fight!", the shadow of two figures loomed over the group… "Did someone mention a fight?"

【To be continued…】


	3. Episode 3

**Ulterior**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach.

Episode 3

【Previously】

"That's repulsive, Orihime-san! Who would eat that?" He continued laughing scornfully. Orihime's expression saddened from the disapproval of her friends. Just then Rukia's face twitched and asked slyly, "Eat what, Renji-kun?" It sounded as though Renji was about to be served with a recipe for disaster but he was oblivious. "Eat whatever Orihime-san suggested of course!" he answered. "Well, eat this then!" Rukia punched him in the stomach and Renji contorted in pain.

The rest felt it was rather comical and chuckled a little. In the background, Orihime was advising Rukia that it was fine with her as everyone has different tastes. "Hah! Baka! You deserved it." Ichigo blurted. That earned a death glare from Renji. "Ya want a fight, Kurosaki!" Renji threatened and Ichigo was already rolling up his sleeves.

Just as Renji and Ichigo were about to give each other a piece of themselves, despite Tatsuki's "stop being so childish!" and Orihime's "please don't fight!", the shadow of two figures loomed over the group… "Did someone mention a fight?"

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Everyone looked up to see who was responsible for the eclipse and was surprised to see a baldy with the ability to reflect the sunlight with his head. "The name's Madarame Ikkaku… Hey! What are you guys starin' at?" the intruder barked when he noticed he wasn't making eye contact. Rather, the gazes of his audience were fixed on his head. Twitching in annoyance, he continued barking, "Don't look elsewhere, you twerps! I'm talkin' to all of you!"

"Ikkaku-san…" Rukia started, "Why are you bald?" As soon as she finished her question, the word 'bald' resounded in Ikkaku's ears with an irritating ring. At that moment, another guy stepped in front of Ikkaku. "Let me handle it," he spoke. "I'm Ayasegawa Yumichika. My friend here's a little sensitive about accusations like that. As you can see before you, unlike me, who adores a head of well-conditioned hair handled with only the best hair-treatment and products, my friend Ikkaku here, prefers not to go through the trouble of maintaining a head of hair." Yumichika explained. Just then, Ikkaku cut back in, "Yumichika! Are you implying I'm lazy?" He turned at once to face the others. "Look here! I'm a fighter! Vice-captain of the Kendo club, ya hear me! I move faster without a head of hair! The reason's wind resistance, ya fools!"

The rest blinked. It's not everyday u're picked on by the weirdest people in school. "What's that got to do with us?" Ichigo blurted, looking away uninterested. "Well, if you're the type to fight, then I'm game for a challenge!" Ikkaku replied. "Are you crazy? We don't even know you! Besides, it's between me and this orange-head! Go find an opponent somewhere else!" Renji retorted. Ikkaku started to steam and murmured 'you're asking for it' under clenched teeth as he started to role up his uniform sleeves…

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A squeal of delight was heard, "There you are, Ikkaku, Yumichika!" and a rough pat landed on Ikkaku's back which sent him plummeting to the ground. "Oh! I'm sorry! I was just glad to have finally found you!" Ikkaku tried to hold back his desire to lay a punch on his female companion. "Looks like you've been really hardworking, Ikkaku-kun! It's the first day of school and you're already picking fights with freshmen!" The overly excited tone from Hitsugaya Matsumoto resonated. She then noticed many eyes fixed at her and smiled. "Well, well, this looks like a decent bunch! Oh! What luck! Orihime-chan and Rukia-chan!" she exclaimed. Both Orihime and Rukia could recognise her in an instant… especially her voice. "Heh, heh... Konnichiwa, Hitsugaya-san…" Orihime replied. Matsumoto was the facilitator put in charge of the orientation group that Orihime and Rukia were in. She's rather rough as she had told them that she used to be in Kendo but realised she'd prefer socializing instead and went on to become the Vice-head of the Student Council.

"We must keep in touch now since it was fate that I've found you all! By the way, I've got a younger brother your age! He's Hitsugaya Toushirou! That poor little cute boy is so anti-social he's got no friends! As a responsible elder sister with a heart of gold… " Matsumoto seemed to go all fluttery, "I want what's best for my younger brother! Please invite him into your little group over here!" Everyone started to imagine how Toushirou would look like. A weakling perhaps? The total opposite of his loud and rough sister? If he's anti-social, doesn't it mean that he doesn't want to have friends anyway?

All of a sudden, a shinai flew from nowhere to hit Matsumoto's shoulder. Then came a boyish, crude and young voice, "I don't need your help, sis! And I'm not cute nor a little boy! Address me by the name of 'Taichou'!" A boy with spiky silver hair, looking totally unlike his sibling, marched up. "Cheh! Taichou's decided to show up!" commented Ikkaku. Matsumoto, though met with the hostility from her younger brother, gave him a big hug. "There you are my little brother! I know your actions are spurred from the very fact that you're experiencing teenage angst and biological changes… but I'll be your emotional support!" she continued. Toushirou shot her a death glare and went to retrieve his shinai.

"What an interesting lot…" Sado spoke. Tatsuki nodded in agreement. Toushirou propped his shinai over his shoulder and walked away coolly, "Don't listen to her spout nonsense. She's been drinking too much of my dad's stuff." Matsumoto wiped a tear from her eye, "My brother… Isn't he the cutest?!!!" she chirped. Everyone's face faltered. "It's Taichou! And I'm not cute!" Toushirou raised his voice to shoot back a final comment before he disappeared.

RRIINNGG! It was then the school bell rang, indicating that lunch was over and it's back to the classrooms for everyone. "Gotta go! See ya!" Matsumoto waved and pushed Ikkaku and Yumichika away from the group. "It's not over yet, orange-head and the baboon!" Ikkaku shouted. "Who are you calling baboon, you baldy!" Renji shouted back. It was just the first day of school and things were already getting rather interesting…

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"Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra addressed respectfully. Aizen sat in a huge armchair in the centre of a massive library. The library was decorated and furnished with a medieval accent. There were columns of towering shelves made of dark wood and a single source of light came from the floor lamp situated next to Aizen's reading armchair. He opened his eyes, his face still leaning against his right palm. His thin lips curled up into a faint smirk. Kneeling on one knee was his right-hand man, Ulquiorra. If there's one person he trusted the most and would not question his loyalty, it would be him.

"I have a mission for you, Ulquiorra," Aizen spoke. "This is very important to me and you must not fail," he continued. Ulquiorra's eyes held no emotions. Whatever the mission bestowed to him by Aizen, he would accomplish it without fail no matter what. Failure meant incompetence. "I have enrolled you in Karakura High by the name of Ulquiorra Schiffer. Gin Ichimaru will be your guardian for any official matters by the school. Your mission is to source out a girl by the name of Inoue Orihime. Gather information about her and report to me when I request so. I will give you further instructions soon," Aizen said. Not many know about Aizen's former identity. Ulquiorra did not know about it. "Yes, sir. I will accomplish this mission," the fifteen-year-old adolescent replied and left.

"Gin, you shall take over from here. Make sure Ulquiorra is able to fit into mainstream schooling. He will find this mission a challenge. Guide him." Aizen instructed. A figure appeared from behind one of the shelves. His face held a perpetual grin across it. "Sure," he answered and left as well.

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Aizen leaned back in his armchair. He recalled a time when he first started out his underground business. A man by the name of Rayoshi (Ray) Schiffer was his partner. Aizen found this man injured and took him under his wing. He later learnt that he was an assassin. Although he accomplished his mission, the man he worked for betrayed him and sent another assassin to get rid of him. Fortunately, he managed to kill the other assassin but was brutally injured. He regretted having to do the dirty work of a corrupted politician, only to be a victim of his employer because the politician wanted to erase all evidence of his shady dealings. Aizen saved Ray from his ordeal and gave him a second chance at living. As a result, Ray had been very loyal to Aizen. They always watched each other's back and if it wasn't for Ray's valuable experience in the underground society, the establishment of his empire would not have been so smooth-sailing.

A sigh escaped Aizen's lips. The memory of it all was vivid. Ray had a son. His wife passed away shortly after conceiving the child due to weak health. Ray single-handedly brought up his only son ever since then and resorted to working for the corrupted politician in order to raise his son. Aizen knew about Ray's son and brought his son under his wing as well. He figured that it was necessary to nurture another generation to sustain his empire. Although Ray was not very educated, he was very faithful and dignified. Ray taught his son well. He taught him self-defense, encouraged him to accumulate knowledge and experience, and taught him never to use underhand methods in a fight…

Unfortunately, Ray lost his life protecting Aizen in an ambush. The undesirable recount of it was best forgotten. After so many years, Aizen lost a dear friend and his right-hand man in one night. Aizen learnt never to let down his guard and to always calculate his strategies in advance. It was a heavy price paid. Aizen may be brutal and cold-hearted, but he recognised and valued talent and loyalty and was a great judge of these two aspects. In order to repay Ray's commitment, Aizen decided to raise his son on his behalf. He allowed Ray to have his last words with his son. Aizen took over as a father-figure when that child was eight. For his protection, he arranged for home-schooling and watched this boy flourish and excel in every aspect of intelligence, combat and resourcefulness through the years. That boy was Ulquiorra Schiffer.

【To be continued…】


	4. Episode 4

**Ulterior**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach.

Episode 4

【Previously】

It was a heavy price paid. Aizen may be brutal and cold-hearted, but he recognised and valued talent and loyalty and was a great judge of these two aspects. In order to repay Ray's commitment, Aizen decided to raise his son on his behalf. He allowed Ray to have his last words with his son. Aizen took over as a father-figure when that child was eight. For his protection, he arranged for home-schooling and watched this boy flourish and excel in every aspect of intelligence, combat and resourcefulness through the years. That boy was Ulquiorra Schiffer.

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_Flashback_

The night was silent. The sky was a starless black. A crescent moon hung. Nature seemed to be preparing itself formally for solemnity. A single car drove along a deserted stretch of road, with the city lights as backdrop. "Where are we going, my husband?" a gentle voice asked. The driver smiled. His intentions ambiguous. "Can't we spend some alone time together, my dear?" he responded, and gazed to see a faint tint of blush on his wife's delicate face. He would miss her beauty. He would miss her intelligence. He would miss all the reasons he chose her to be his wife. But she yearned for stability. He yearned for the opposite. Life's a gamble. Survivor of the fittest. Nevertheless, he had given her stability. He had given her all that she wanted. It was time now that she gave him what he would want.

The tires stopped. The car was parked at the side of the highway. There were no other cars. Serenity. A night to remember. A flash of events.

"You have given me a good life," Inoue Akio spoke.

"You too. I love you very much." His wife smiled and leaned against his chest. She held on tightly to his hand as though knowing it would be the last time she could do so.

Click. A gun. "Get out of the car," a rough voice spoke.

The couple got out.

The gun fired. Bullet met flesh. She took the bullet for her husband. Eyes closed. A pool of blood.

Another gun fired. The rough voice let out a final gasp. "Your purpose has expired," a cold voice breathed.

The woman was unknowing. A smile on her face. The intruder realised. He was betrayed.

No time for grieving. A click of a button. The sky lit up, orange. It matched the auburn tresses of the woman. The car exploded, fell limply to its side, engulfed in flames.

Akio walked away. Because he knew she loved him, he would let her go first. She died thinking she protected the love of her life – it would be better than living a life thinking that the love of her life had died.

No time for regret. What was done, was done.

The night was silent. The sky was a starless black. A crescent moon hung…

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"Orihime, have you decided?" Tatsuki asked her best friend. Lessons were over for their first day of highschool and the group decided to take a walk through the school's huge hall, gazing at the variety of club booths set up. All freshman students can only join one extracurricular activity each. There are sports clubs and culture clubs. Orihime still wasn't sure. She gazed at her best friend beside her and gave her a weak smile. "Iie, Tatsuki-chan," she started, "It's easier for you since you've been in Karate since young… I'm not so sure for myself." The group continued pacing when they heard the sounds of colliding shinais. Just ahead of them, Ikkaku and Toushirou were sparring just beside the Kendo booth and a small crowd gathered to watch.

"Argh! Take that!" Ikkaku charged full-force at his smaller opponent. His swings were powerful and fast. Toushirou swiftly evaded each attack. A firm foot forward, a slight rustle, an abrupt blast of air. Jabbed. The next second, Ikkaku fell on one knee. The tip of a shinai rested gracefully on his left shoulder. The crowd drew in their breaths. Some gasped. Impressed. Ikkaku got back on his feet and both Ikkaku and Toushirou bowed. The crowd clapped. "Taicho, you still live up to your name. But, I may catch up." Ikkaku said, resting a firm hand on Toushirou's shoulder blade and using the other to wipe away his perspiration with a towel. Toushirou grinned knowingly.

"That was impressive, Hitsugaya-san!" Rukia bowed and then applauded. Orihime blinked. "Hitsugaya-san! No wonder you insist people address you as 'taicho'! We didn't think you are so skilled in Kendo…" Orihime praised. Toushirou let out a smirk, satisfied with himself. "…Hmm, I guess looks can be deceiving…" Orihime continued. Tatsuki let out an embarrassed chuckle for her friend and dragged her best friend away. "Orihime, we should continue finding a club for you ne?" Everyone knew they could trust Orihime to say the weirdest things. Toushirou's smirk faltered and twitched. "Ha! Ikkaku! You've lost," Renji was being spiteful and earned himself a staring competition from the sophomore. "Well, I don't mind showing you how it feels like to lose… baboon," Ikkaku retaliated. Seeing that the two nutcases were headed towards tearing each other apart, Rukia grabbed the nearest shinai and whacked Renji and Ikkaku on the head. She didn't meant for it to be as forceful as it turned out to be. The two collapsed momentarily before hopping up onto their feet and staring daggers at Rukia.

"Enough. If all of you like to fight so much, consider joining the Kendo club," Toushirou positioned himself behind the booth and spoke professionally. "If you've got the guts…" Ikkaku incited. Immediately, Renji signed up. "Who's afraid of who? I think I'll enjoy Kendo – fighting's legal here," Renji said arrogantly. Ichigo was initially uninterested. He isn't one to commit to anything. But listening to what Renji suggested, he remembered that Renji still owed him a fight. Kendo – more opportunities to bash up Renji, just for kicks. In an instant, his name was on the list. Rukia thought she may actually have innate talent. She needed a club too, so she wrote her name without much hesitation.

"I guess everyone signed up for a club already," Tatsuki and Orihime were back. "Orihime, what did you sign up for?" Rukia asked. "Handicrafts' Club!" she chirped, "Something tells me it will come in handy one day…" Everyone thought that perhaps 'weird' was an understatement. Orihime was one person you can never read. An enigma. "Hey, Sado! What did you sign up for?" Ichigo asked, curious to know. "Kickboxing," Sado replied. The school would need more punching bags.

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"Highschool, eh?" Gin Ichimaru was leaning against a wall along one of the many corridors in the mansion. Ulquiorra ignored his presence and continued walking, with hands in their perpetual position – in his pockets. "Been there, done that," the elder man bragged. Ulquiorra was already a few metres away from the man, his back facing him. "It's not as easy as you think it will be, Schiffer-san," Gin was not discouraged by the lack of attention given to him. "If you require any… assistance, you know who to look for." Gin smirked and strode in the opposite direction. He knew Ulquiorra would eventually.

"By the way…" Gin called out loudly. Ulquiorra stopped momentarily. "Good luck!" His grin never leaving his face.

【To be continued…】


	5. Episode 5

**Ulterior**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach.

Episode 5

【Previously】

"Highschool, eh?" Gin Ichimaru was leaning against a wall along one of the many corridors in the mansion. Ulquiorra ignored his presence and continued walking, with hands in their perpetual position – in his pockets. "Been there, done that," the elder man bragged. Ulquiorra was already a few metres away from the man, his back facing him. "It's not as easy as you think it will be, Schiffer-san," Gin was not discouraged by the lack of attention given to him. "If you require any… assistance, you know who to look for." Gin smirked and strode in the opposite direction. He knew Ulquiorra would eventually.

"By the way…" Gin called out loudly. Ulquiorra stopped momentarily. "Good luck!" His grin never leaving his face.

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Ulquiorra had the emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) equivalent to that of a brick wall. His intellectual capability need not be questioned, but when it came down to the issue of being sociable, Ulquiorra's personal experience was exceedingly inadequate. He didn't have any friends, even within the Hueco Mundo syndicate, and he didn't want any friends. Put it simply, Ulquiorra was the epitome of "anti-social"… which led to an unlikely but necessary event in the mansion – Gin's "1-on-1 Crash Course in Socializing".

For the third time, Ulquiorra let out a silent sigh. If it wasn't for this being an order from Aizen, he would conveniently ignore Gin's initiative to educate him about being sociable. It didn't escape Ulquiorra's observation that nobody in the syndicate wanted to be associated with Gin on a friendly basis. How Gin could consider himself befitting to give him a lecture on the art of socializing is beyond reason and logic. Out of pure compliance to Aizen's order, Ulquiorra sat in one of the lecture seats in the mansion's auditorium and stared nonchalantly at the slide, which Gin was pointing at with an extendable pointer, entitled "The Dummies Guide to Socializing".

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For Gin, his intention wasn't to be helpful. It was just self-entertainment. The way Ulquiorra was so devoted to Aizen, Gin was literally swallowing his laughter at the sight of the younger man taking down notes. It was priceless to Gin. At this rate, Ulquiorra was headed to thinking he would grasp the full meaning of, let's say, 'Love' just by reading up on the encyclopedic explanation of it. Too rational to leave any gap for humanity, Ulquiorra continued jotting down Gin's theoretical points for socializing like as if they were steps to solving a Matrix problem sum.

"Come on now, Schiffer-san. Don't give me that look like this is totally unnecessary!" Gin sounded out. _It IS totally unnecessary_, thought Ulquiorra. "You know full well that your mission is to gather information about the girl. If you intend to just spy on her, the usefulness of your information to Aizen is very limited. If you know how to get close to her and gain her trust, she'll willingly provide you with all the information you need! The trick to this – is just to be her friend, Schiffer-san," Gin reasoned, "But of course, the only problem is that you never befriended any soul in your life so far! This leads to Lesson #1!" Ulquiorra scanned the next slide and cursed inwardly, _this sucks_…

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_Lesson #1 – Introductions_

"The first step to befriending anybody in the most direct way possible is to go up to that person and introduce yourself," Gin said. Ulquiorra scribbled. "There are many ways to introduce oneself, but for a 'Social Beginner' like you, just extend a hand to the person and say, 'Hi. I'm Ulquiorra Schiffer. It's a pleasure to meet you' and hope that she'll be willing to give you a handshake and introduce herself." _I'm labeled as a 'social beginner'?_ Ulquiorra felt a bit insulted.

"However, to befriend a female is more challenging than befriending a male," Gin seemed to speak from experience. "Females may interpret your introduction as an attempt to be romantically involved with them, even if it is not the case. So, if you are unattractive in their eyes, they may not even want to befriend you!" Ulquiorra blinked as a sign of realization. "Is that why nobody befriends you?" Ulquoirra asked insensitively. Gin twitched. "Uh-hum! Don't try to be snide. Lesson #2!"

_Lesson #2 – Being Attractive_

"The highly subjective topic of attractiveness will be covered in Lesson #2," Gin continued. "To befriend the girl successfully, you must be attractive… Oh, we have a lot to work on," Gin commented. "Don't try to be snide." Ulquiorra retorted and Gin grinned in satisfaction. The young man of fifteen looked mature for his age. Ulquiorra had attractive features, and the one major asset he had was his deep green pools. His layered, shoulder-length black hair perpetually had a styled look to it. Gin rubbed his chin and observed Ulquiorra's appearance. Ulquiorra always wore a slight frown on his face and personality-wise, he could fall under the "strong, silent and cool" male category that a large handful of females would be interested in. "Well, you may be too quiet and boring for anyone's liking, but you can pass off as strong, silent and cool… Some girls like that in a male, so you must play it well, Schiffer-san." Ulquiorra didn't really understand a word, but he captured the gist of it. "Though attractiveness is subjective, a universal quality you ought to have is to be a gentleman!" Gin said. "This brings us to Lesson #3!"

_Lesson #3 – Be A Gentleman_

"How to be a gentleman? The all-time rule is the 'Ladies first' rule," Gin preached and Ulquiorra sighed for the forth time. "This means that you must treat the girl with respect. Get the door for her, push in her seat for her, carry her books for her, walk her home if it's at night and tell her that it is for her safety… You get the picture?" _Like a servant?_ He wondered. Ulquiorra scribbled down the examples which he never once heard of and nodded in comprehension. "The final lesson is Lesson #4!" Gin announced and Ulquiorra felt instant relief.

_Lesson __#4 – How to be a Friend?_

"Lastly, how to act like a friend," Gin started. "Well, it is simple. As a 'friend', you will have to greet her whenever you see her. Since you are incapable of smiling, you can wave. When she is upset, you must show concern for her by asking or by touching her shoulder. If she does not want to tell you, tell her that she can confide in you whenever she feels like it. When she cries, just be a pillow. When she is bullied, protect her. When she is happy, whatever she tells you, just show that you understand. Bottom-line is – if she likes you, she'll open up to you!" With that, Gin retracted his extendable pointer. "Crash course is over! I know you are dying to leave. But before that, I would like to remind you that school starts tomorrow and Aizen wants to see you for a short briefing at 7.30am after breakfast. Be dressed in your school uniform. The chauffeur will drive you to Karakura High. Good luck!" Gin smirked and left the auditorium. Ulquiorra stared at the notes he scribbled. _Will this work?_ He thought. He'll just have to find that out on his own. It was his mission and he would not fail.

【To be continued…】

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【Author's Note】

Thank you to those who have added this fic to your favourites and those who have given this fic a shot. I really hope that you will take some time to review my work! I'd really appreciate it! This episode is a contrastingly light-hearted one as compared to the flashbacks associated with Aizen. I hope you enjoyed it. Next episode will be Ulquiorra's official first day in Karakura High. The plot will become more interesting as it develops. Be sure to tune in!


	6. Episode 6

**Ulterior**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach.

Episode 6

【Previously】

"Crash course is over! I know you are dying to leave. But before that, I would like to remind you that school starts tomorrow and Aizen wants to see you for a short briefing at 7.30am after breakfast. Be dressed in your school uniform. The chauffeur will drive you to Karakura High. Good luck!" Gin smirked and left the auditorium. Ulquiorra stared at the notes he scribbled. _Will this work?_ He thought. He'll just have to find that out on his own. It was his mission and he would not fail.

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Ulquiorra looked down at the photograph he held in his right hand. The photograph held an image of a young girl about his age, with long orange-brown hair, a pair of beautiful, large purple-tinted grey eyes, and a warm smile upon her face.

_Flash__back_

"Aizen-sama, you requested to see me," greeted Ulquiorra. "Hai. I trust that you are prepared to leave on your mission. I know you will not fail me, Ulquiorra," said Aizen as he leaned back against his armchair. "Hai, Aizen-sama," came Ulquiorra's reply. With that, he was dismissed.

_End of Flashback_

Ulquiorra took a final glance at the photograph of the girl before closing the folder. He knew very well that this was unlike any of his other missions. Nevertheless, nothing but his best efforts was still expected of him and incompetence wasn't even an option.

"Ulquiorra-sama," the chauffeur spoke, "we have arrived at Karakura High." The fifteen-year-old gave a slight nod and stepped out of the car. The bustling sounds accompanying the sight of students rushing here and there and hanging out in groups was Ulquoirra's first observation. His thin lips frowned. _Trash_, he thought.

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It was yet another Monday morning in school and as usual, students were hanging out in groups, talking and sharing about what they did over the weekend, while waiting for the first bell to ring. Orihime was scribbling and doodling in her notebook, occasionally looking out of the classroom window to admire the bright blue sky and thinking about how fortunate she was to have a window seat.

"What's this?" Tatsuki sneaked up from behind her best friend and snatched her notebook away. Orihime gasped in surprise and turned her head just in time to see Tatsuki holding her notebook and looking at it. "Ichigo (Strawberry)?" came Tatsuki's comment and immediately, Orihime covered her mouth with her hand and blushed. Apparently, Orihime had drawn many, many strawberries in her notebook, but it wasn't strawberries she was thinking of. Tatsuki realized the connection when she saw that Orihime's face was flushed with embarrassment. Just then, the first bell rang and everyone scampered back into their seats. Ichigo, who arrived just as the bell was ringing, strolled to his seat casually and took it. Orihime quickly retrieved her notebook from Tatsuki and closed it before anyone noticed her doodles.

"Ohayou gozaimasu! Today, we have a new student! Everyone please welcome Ulquiorra Schiffer-san!" Mizuno-sensei chirped. Ulquiorra strode into the classroom and took a bow. Amidst a mixture of gushing and gasping noises which he detected, Ulquiorra did a quick scan of the classroom. He noted that it was a class for 30 students with plenty of desks and chairs, a chalk board, noticeboards and lockers. "Schiffer-san, kindly take that seat over there," Mizuno-sensei said and she motioned for him to sit at the empty desk that was two seats behind Ichigo, which was also the second-last seat in that column.

"Now, before we begin today's lesson, I shall return to you your scripts from last Friday's spring test!" said Mizuno-sensei as she picked up a stack of papers to be given out. Some groans from the students were emitted. "Only two of you did exceptionally well for this test, while the rest of you didn't come close. I expect to see some improvements in the next test! Ishida-san and Inoue-san, please take your scripts. Well done for the both of you," Mizuno-sensei stated as she passed out the scripts.

_It's her_, Ulquiorra thought, _she's Inoue Orihime_. Indeed, the girl that Ulquiorra took a mental note of was truly the girl that he was ordered to gain information about. She looked exactly like in the photograph, except more attractive in person. Orihime went back to her seat after receiving her script and smiled gently at the sight of her marks. _It really is her_, Ulquiorra thought as he noted the exact same way she smiled.

。。。。。。。

A few periods went by. The first was English, taught by Mizuno-sensei, who was also their Homeroom teacher, followed by Math, Biology and Japanese. The school bell rang, signaling every student's favourite period – Lunch. As the bell rang on and the classroom started to be filled with the joyous chatter of students, Ulquiorra wondered what the whole fuss was about. He took out his school schedule from his black leather school bag and noted that it was Lunch period. He wasn't told where students ate during lunch or where do they get their food from. This caused him to frown slightly at this lack of information provided by Gin, his supposed guardian.

"Orihime! Let's go!" Tatsuki grabbed her friend's arm while dragging her out of the classroom. Ulquiorra's eyes followed her as she left. In a matter of seconds, no one except himself was left in the classroom. He had one hour to kill.

Tatsuki and Orihime were walking down the hallway, trying to catch up with the rest of their lunch buddies. "Oh no!" Orihime exclaimed. "Nani?" Tatsuki asked. "I left something in class! Tatsuki, you can catch up with the rest first. I'll see you all later, okay?" Orihime said and Tatsuki nodded in agreement. Orihime quickly spun around and headed back to the classroom. She pushed open the sliding door of her classroom upon arriving, but did not expect any of her classmates to be in it, since everyone usually disappeared for lunch. However, just as she stepped in, she saw a lone figure sitting at a desk. Her eyes grew wider upon seeing that it was the new student.

Ulquiorra sat stiffly at his desk and as he sat, he heard the classroom door slid open and a familiar face peeked into it. "Sumimasen. I'm here to get something. Sorry to interrupt," Orihime started. Ulquiorra simply nodded. Orihime walked to her desk and took out a paper lunch bag with a bottle of milk tea, a red bean bun and a chicken ham and cheese sandwich in it. Grabbing on to her lunch bag, she turned around to see what the new student was doing. Curiously, she began to ask, "U-U-ki-o-ra…" She made an attempt to remember his name but knew she didn't get it right. "Ulquiorra Schiffer," he corrected. "Hai. Schiffer-san, aren't you going to have lunch?" Orihime asked politely. "Iie. I do not know how lunch works in this school," he answered honestly. "So desu. Well, there is no cafeteria in Japanese high schools, so all of us pack lunch to school, usually in bento boxes. Did you bring any food, Schiffer-san?" said Orihime.

Ulquiorra glanced at Orihime's lunch bag as though it was presumably evidence that what this girl said was true. Orihime saw that Ulquiorra took a momentary glance at her lunch bag before his deep green eyes met her grey ones again. "Iie," he responded, almost whispering. Orihime felt a sudden wave of sadness for this new student, as though not having brought lunch would cause him to die, and then no one will ever see him again in school if she didn't do anything. Ulquiorra saw that the girl in front of him took on a sudden worried expression but it changed to another expression just as quickly. "Schiffer-san, please accept my food then." Orihime said as she held up her lunch bag with both hands to Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra was slightly puzzled. "You will have no lunch if you offer me yours," he pointed out. Orihime gave him a big smile, "Don't worry! Tatsuki's mother always packs an extra bento box for me every Monday. I'll have something to eat today. Please take this." Orihime didn't wait for Ulquiorra to take the lunch bag from her. Instead she took one of his hands and placed the lunch bag on it. "I need to go now. Hope you'll like the food. See you later, Schiffer-san!" Orihime said in a rush and she exited the classroom quickly.

Ulquiorra did not have a chance to thank her and she left. He looked down at the lunch bag on his left palm and decided to see what was in there. A bottle of milk tea, a red bean bun (written on the sealed package) and a sandwich… Ulquiorra never had a red bean bun before. He tore open the plastic and took a bite at it gracefully. It was sweet, warm and went well with the freshly-baked bun, and Ulquiorra liked it.

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It didn't take long for Ulquiorra to finish the simple yet satisfying lunch which was given to him. He stood up and decided to walk along the hallways to make more observations about this school. He slid open the classroom door and exited. Once out in the hallway, he noted that some students were starting to return to their classrooms, others were just having their small gatherings along the hallway and chatting. As he walked along, he was aware of some stares and gossiping around him, but he conveniently ignored them. He passed by a male and a female student being seemingly intimate at a corner, and went into the washroom at the far end of the hallway.

Ulquiorra looked at his reflection in the mirror. Seeing himself in a school uniform was rather strange. _I prefer home-schooling_, he thought, _don't have to look at all these trash_. Sub-consciously, his thoughts travelled to Inoue Orihime. _Is she considered trash?_ His inner-self asked. Ulquiorra looked away from the mirror. He did not recognize this uncertainty he was feeling. For him to even feel something other than contempt, disgust and pride was something near impossible. Ulquiorra shoved the question to the back of his mind and decided to make his way back to class. Then, mentally, another question surfaced in his mind, one that would be one of the things he needed to find out about her. _Why is it that her friend's mother makes food for her instead of her own mother?_

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The school bell rang again, signaling the end of Lunch period. Ulquiorra watched as his classroom began to fill up with students. Orihime and her friends came into the classroom, and he watched her as she neared her desk. Orihime wondered whether the new student enjoyed her lunch, and when she saw Ulquiorra looking at her direction, she smiled and waved at him.

"Orihime, why are you waving at the new student?" Tatsuki asked when she noticed her friend waving at someone seated at the back of the classroom. Orihime placed her hand back down, a little disappointed that she did not receive a wave back. "I gave a part of my lunch to him just now because he didn't know he must bring lunch to school," she turned and told Tatsuki. "So desu ne. That's nice of you, Orihime-chan!" Tatsuki said and patted her friend on her head, earning a giggle from Orihime. Orihime reached her desk and turned to look at Ulquiorra once again, giving him a faint smile. Ulquiorra returned a light nod before looking away. Somewhere in his consciousness, he knows what he was uncertain about. He was uncertain about how he should react to the girl. _I must not fail_, he whispered a thought in his mind.

The last two periods were Social Studies and Home Economics. For Home Economics, the boys took Technical Home Economics, rather than regular Home Economics which the girls took. Hence, they went to different rooms.

After the last academic period, all students went back to their classroom for Class Meeting with Mizuno-sensei, their Homeroom teacher. Mizuno-sensei made a few announcements and after so, all students did 15 minutes of classroom cleaning, though there wasn't much to clean. Ulquiorra took note of the school practices, which were all very new to him. He saw that Orihime was wiping the chalkboard, but she had to tip-toe to reach the higher parts. Ulquiorra swiftly stood up from his seat and went over to the front of the classroom. He took the duster out of Orihime's right hand and wiped off the words at the top of the board. Orihime stared wide-eyed at his sudden helpfulness. "Arigatou gozaimashita," they both said at the same time, to Orihime's surprise again. She smiled and said, "Don't forget to bring lunch tomorrow. Sayonara." Orihime took her school bag and left.

【To be continued…】

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【Author's Note】

I was on such a long hiatus! Oh dear… *feeling guilty*… Anyway, hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Stay tuned!


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